Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Get out of

In the context of this comic strip, “get out of” means to benefit or get pleasure from something. Usually when someone asks “And what do I get out of it?”, they want to know what advantages there are if they were to do or give something - what they might receive in return.

1. What do you get out of donating blood? I think you would have the satisfaction of knowing that you might potentially save someone’s life… and depending on the clinic, you may get paid $20 - $40 per donation (depending on the country).

2. You can get so much out of volunteering: you may get to learn or develop new skills, meet and interact with new people and feel a sense of achievement. When my Brazilian English students volunteer with me to translate for doctors visiting with humanitarian organizations, they get a whole lot out of it, including the chance to practice their English.

3. You may ask yourself, “What do I get out of sharing this material with my friends who are learning English?” Well, I’m sure you’ll have the pleasure of knowing that you are helping them by not keeping something valuable to yourself - especially if you are getting something out of the lessons as you improve your English! They may even thank you for it.

4. Any country can get a lot out of free trade, especially increased economic growth. “It is believed that free trade leads to mutual benefits for both the trading partners” (or countries): http://benefitof.net/benefits-of-free-trade/